In the retail distribution of fuel, a variety of fuel distribution mechanisms are used. A gas station is a common mechanism for the distribution of fuel to retail customers. In a typical scenario, a user parks his or her vehicle alongside a fuel pump, and manually operates it to retrieve fuel to the vehicle. Traditionally, a user pays for the dispensed fuel after the distribution of the fuel has occurred. It is often necessary to pay for the fuel at a payment counter spaced apart from the fuel pumps, especially when additional items are being purchased. For example, the payment counter is frequently located within a convenience store associated with the gas station. This can be inconvenient at busy times when users must wait within a queue to complete payment.
Gas stations typically include a plurality of fuel pumps. In addition, a cashier's terminal at the payment counter may monitor the usage of the fuel pumps by numerous customers as the come and go. At busy locations, gas stations turnover very large amounts of revenue. As a result, payment cards, such as debit or credit cards, are an increasingly common method of payment. Because the value of fuel purchased often exceeds the value which would be convenient or safe to carry in cash, payment cards have become much more common. The increased use of payment cards presents a number of challenges, some of which have yet to be resolved.